The Moz Blog

SEO from a Newb's Perspective

This post was originally in YouMoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community.The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not
reflect the views of Moz.

Author’s note: I’m new to the SEOmoz community and super excited to be contributing – but frankly, I’m a little intimidated by all the expertise on this blog. Gulp. Read and critique with love and understanding for my beginner status, please. Here we go!

For all of you search engine optimization gurus out there, I hope my perspective is a fresh one for you. Sometimes it’s fun to temporarily place yourself back in the mindset of an ignorant beginner. You probably can’t remember the day before you understood SEO backwards and forwards, can you?

Well, I’m still there. (Yes, thank you for the supportive smiles and knowing looks.) I still don’t understand it all – BUT I’m on my way, and I’m making progress.

Stereotypes about SEO

In college, my understanding of “search engine optimization” was that it was for “techie” people, a hybrid hobby of computer science and math. Where I gained this impression, I don’t remember, but I truly thought SEO could only be done by the guys who knew JavaScript and wrote code. That person wasn’t me. As an English creative writing major, I spent my time writing sonnets, short stories, and articles for the school newspaper.

I loved the blogosphere, but beyond blogging and typical Internet usage, I never considered learning more about the inner workings of the web. To me, SEO seemed like a highly complex field easily comprehended only if you’d successfully hacked into something in your lifetime – which, as you can probably guess, I hadn’t.

When I graduated in 2012, I realized:

The journalism market was shutting like a Venus flytrap,

I would suffer daily psychotic breakdowns if I had to teach English to adolescents, and

I didn’t want to dish out money for grad school.

So I started applying for every kind of job that involved words – techie or otherwise.

I still thought careers in SEO were for people who solve Rubik’s cubes for fun, take computers apart and put them back together, and keep their scientific calculators in their back pockets – people who live in a programmed, digital world of computer gibberish, glowing screens, and Internet forums.

Then, as luck would have it, I got hired to do SEO.

At first, I was bewildered. Why would anybody want me to do SEO?

However, my boss told me that my present skill set as a writer would actually be a good fit for the role. Besides, he made SEO sound really exciting. As I started to research and gain a more accurate impression of SEO, I was pleasantly surprised to learn I could actually like this.

Yes, I was unaware of how fascinating the field of SEO is today. This new era of content creation and ethical linking has my head spinning. Now that I’m doing SEO, I’m so excited about all the possibilities SEO has to offer anyone who goes about it!

Conversion from skeptic to supporter

The first thing I did after I interviewed for my online marketing job at Happy Dog Web Productions was to download the SEOMoz Pro’s “Free Beginner’s Guide to SEO” (THANK YOU, GUYS). I took copious notes. I looked things up. I read it slow. Then I went hunting around the Internet for more information about this strange new acronym.

As a frequent “Googler” myself, it was not news to me that people flock to the Internet like children to the candy aisle. The idea that Google is a diamond mine for marketing departments is completely logical. I already understood that traditional advertising and marketing efforts are no longer “how we do things” after reading books like Paul Arden’s It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, and Seth Godin’s Purple Cow, among others. The way we reach audiences has changed. Everybody is on the Internet, looking for answers, information, reviews, e-commerce, you name it. With the short patience of the average search engine user, companies have to be easy to find and rank for the right search queries – otherwise, well, tough luck!

I began to understand the necessity of SEO in giving companies online credibility. Visibility and respect is a hard thing to achieve when the Internet is overstuffed with information, and even if you have an amazing, relevant website, Google or Bing or Yahoo! may not see it that way, making it impossible for people to find you. But optimizing your online presence for the search engines and the user alike, both off-site and on-site, will eventually, over time, convince the search engines to reward your quality website with a higher ranking.

(Whew! See how much I’ve learned?!)

The part of SEO I’m still coming to terms with is how Google figures out rankings – with its rules and algorithms and valuing certain practices over others. Thankfully, I’m not the only one trying to understand –even the most seasoned professionals are constantly hopping trying to keep up with rapid-fire change in the way search engines compile rankings.

News alert: You, too, can join the fun

Overall, I understand now that good, ethical SEO concepts are not too complicated to grasp - and good, ethical SEO concepts are vital in helping companies get noticed, marketing their brand, and encouraging conversions. If your website content is online but nobody can find it, why even have it?

You don’t have to be a brilliant computer hacker to grasp SEO and how to go about it – one of my most valuable takeaways to date. Yes, you have to be able to follow Google’s algorithmic updates and understand statistics, and having a solid research and analysis process is crucial, but there's more to SEO than the numbers.

SEO professionals should be fairly

Techie,

Internet savvy, and

Marketing-minded.

But the surprising job qualifications for the SEO person?

Have outstanding social skills. All this guest blogging and link earning requires respect, a polite demeanor, and the ability to connect with people.

Be strategic. Strategy goes a long way with SEO – like setting attainable goals for keyword optimization, creating pages for SEO purposes, and brainstorming what users will want to read and find.

Think creatively. SEO is about attracting people with great content. I never realized before how user-geared current SEO practices are, which means the SEO expert juggles marketing, public relations, and advertising hats, too!

Write well. You don’t have to be at a Pulitzer level, but you do have to express ideas logically and write effectively for your intended audience.

When I learned that today’s great SEO has a lot to do with creating awesome content for the user, I immediately realized that this field was a good fit for me because I like words, and I’m a writer. Yay! I know I have a ways to go with the analytics and research, but I really enjoy my current role on the SEO team.

It’ll be a slow trek to reach the level of some of you Mozzers! But I’m excited about SEO and hope you enjoyed hearing from my perspective as a newb.

About HappyBrooke —
Brooke McDonald is the Online Marketer at Happy Dog Web Productions where she connects her clients with their target customers in creative ways. Follow her on Twitter or Google+.

That was an awesome blog post! That is exactly how I felt when I first started in the SEO world, coming from an English background. You captured the experience in a way that was really fun to read. I actually just signed up for an SEOmoz account after reading that and found your insights really educational. Thanks!

I undertook a lot of hefty projects as an English major (Moby Dick just about did me in) but SEO is a whole new world. It's great to know others are in the same boat :-) SEOmoz is a pretty awesome resource. I'm sure you'll find the site beyond helpful.¬†

Brooke, It is great to know that there are all levels of SEO in this group. I am for sure at the bottom level and a true newb. On some days I feel quite lost. I share in your thoughts about perspective on techie experts and never aspired to be one of them. I started out with a degree in Nursing and ended up in Real Estate, which is now my second career. I never expected to be blogging and learning SEO for my website. It has been an amazing experience and when I "get it" I feel truly accomplished.Great post and I look forward to your next!1

Wow, and to think I was nervous to write for this community - you've all blown me away with your warm words and encouragement!¬†It's so fun to hear from those who are in a similar place as me with SEO (and with such varied backgrounds, from law to nursing!), and also from those who have done it for a long time and can offer advice. Thanks so much for all your insights and responses!¬†I look forward to hopefully reading contributions to this blog from all of you as well :)

Thanks for being so open about your journey to SEO and going forward with your new career. ¬†It is important Brooke for all of us to realize that re-invention is part of the life learning experience. ¬†Although not hired for SEO, I need to do it myself in my small business and learning it all plus doing my job becomes overwhelming at times...but it is our world. ¬†Great to have you contributing and sharing...look forward to more. ¬†best to you in your journey!

Hey all, thank you for reading, commenting, sharing your stories, and giving me pats on the back. Really, I doubted anyone would care about a beginner's perspective on a blog offering so much premium advice. Now I'm even more enthused about all the learning and growing ahead after connecting with all of you on SEOmoz.

I haven't commented in the moz community for ages but this post cracked me up (in a good way). Firstly it is awesome to hear that you find SEO exciting, +1 immediately and secondly that you have a Humanities degree as well (I have a degree in Philosophy, I got into SEO by trying to avoid getting a job, fail).

Anyway, glad you're enjoying it so far; this is an amazing community to start out in and definitely one of the most supportive of people just getting into search. It's both a mentally and morally challenging arena to work in - I hope that you enjoy marrying literary flair to search engine optimisation for many years to come.

I never considered a degree outside of the humanities and secretly shook inside thinking I might have to waitress for the rest of my life as an English major. Of course, there are a ton of opportunities for humanities majors if you're willing to stretch and learn new things. Thanks for the encouragement and the comment! I agree, this is a great community!

Yeah totally, they set you up for everything (and potentially nothing if you get lost in the initially depressing world of work), all you need is a bit of lateral thinking to apply your skills. That and to constantly second guess Tron (AKA Google) to stay ahead of the game...

Thanks for saying all that I have been thinking! I have been into SEO now for about six months and I feel very excited, yet overwhelmed at all I have to learn.What has been the hardest challenge for you? I struggle with link building and putting a coherent SEO strategy in place to suit small business clients.

Another newb! Thanks for reading, Webmaster Servant!Hmm, good question about greatest challenges. Perhaps keyword research and nailing the right niche for clients is mine. I'd agree, putting a "coherent" strategy is what it's about, and can be tricky.¬†Not always seeing immediate payoff is a challenge as well. I'm learning to be patient.¬†SEO isn't magic.¬†

Brooke your article was very well put together, content that is engaging and community/link building. And whom better to write and share, what many of us newbs are slightly to shy, overwhelmed, and/or confused to ask in a community that is stereotyped as know-it-all techies - a bit unnerving.

Thank goodness for the SeoMoz community and the present shift of online ethics - you nailed exactly what SEO is shaping to be.

I'm smack dab in the middle of yourself and webmaster servant, with a psychology degree, years of marketing, promotions and events experience. It was only till the new year that I have even heard the term SEO. Now with three months of DIY research on the topic at large I am beginning to grasp the BIG picture of this online editorial field.

And what better timing! Where i was once against technology (feeling as though its over-used for entertainment purposes) I am now viewing an academia dynamic! - driven by the biggest ball buster of them all, google! Its exciting to see that the web is heading back to the good old days, where information can be found through links that have been earned and verified through organic engaging content..This is a very hands-down approach, which will indefinitely create a stronger work ethic both on and offline.¬†Now if only i could figure an internet savvy way of creating engaging - link earning content for successful conversions for my particular niche..thanks again! ¬†¬†

I know how you feel - I come from a writing background and getting my head around some of the technical aspects has been tough. Still, keeping at it and getting loads of¬†encouragement¬†and help from places like this. Thanks for a terrific post - you've inspired me to perhaps try and pen my own.

Tempted to send this out to our whole SEO team! I've been in SEO for 8 months -- and, like you, my Humanities degree (Feminist Studies + Philosophy!) has served me well in terms of writing and analytical thinking. I started out as an "intern," trained into an analyst position. You're so right that it's a field that rewards creativity, as well as curiosity and enthusiasm.

My biggest hurdle the first few months was all the acronyms! I now have an SEO/marketing glossary to throw at future SEO interns. ROI, CR, GA, RFP, CPA... and then once I knew what those stood for, it didn't mean I knew what they meant or how to figure them out!

The SEO learning curve is steep and I'm still somewhere in the middle -- but it sure is exciting the day you pull together a report in 10 minutes that was terrifying and took 3 hours when you first started. :)

First of all congrats on the new job! Secondly I'd like to say this is a great blog post. The "Stereotypes About SEO" section made me laugh because it was like reading my own life; I also went to uni to study English and creative writing and thought I wanted to be a journalist, but decided against it about halfway through. When I came out I landed a job in SEO thanks to my writing and social skills, and I haven't looked back since! I've been in my job for almost 9 months now. I've learned an incredible amount and I'm still learning every single day. I agree with AJ1534 about needing patience, but when you see the results of your efforts, no matter how small, it's one of the most rewarding feelings! The first time I had a guest blog published was another brilliant moment. The world of digital is only going to continue growing, so it's definitely the place to be now in preparation for the future. ¬†

Nice post, Brooke.For someone who comes from an environmental background (yeah, not techie too), reading words like yours is absolutely revitalizing.¬†Looking at the past when my first days as an SEO were really challenging, I realize that all the effort was worth it.It's really nice to see how people from multiple disciplines can fit into the thrilling world of SEO. That's one of the reasons I love SEO.Congratulations.

Perhaps sexy isn't the right word. I would ask "how do you make a plumber sound attractive" Think of the last time you had to hire a plumber.. What did you look for?

How fast can they get there. What types of plumbing do they fix.. Indoors / Outdoors / Both? Do you know anyone who knows¬† plumber.. Did he or she do a good job? Were their prices fair, how long did it take them to get it done. Did they clean up? Was the job sanitary?

All of these, if answered correctly, are VERY attractive. If I know the person coming in is going to do a good job, get it done quickly, for a fair price, and not completely mess up my house.. I'm all over that!

Hi Brooke - great post and you seem to be on the right track.¬†I would add one more characteristic to the list and that would be resilience. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your website slides down the search rankings and it can be enormously frustrating.¬†A good SEO needs to be able to pick themselves up and move on!Heather

Heather is
correct. I've performed SEO since 2003. If you ever wanted a Fast Paced
quickly changing career.. You got it. One week your tactics are working marvelously
and the next, one of the big three changes something up and you have to
completely go back to square one. My fail safes are these 1. Good Research 2.
Good Content 3. Good Code.

Nice write up! It's an exciting time to be joining the SEO industry. I think your article would of been a lot different if you joined 5 years ago. Back then you didn't really have to be too creative, just¬†knowledgeable, to get results but now creativity plays a much larger roll.¬†

To be honest, I envy you very much. Getting in the industry now is going to be very advantageous for you. The SEO of the past now gets you penalized, but many of us have a hard time letting go so to speak. You're starting now with the industry in a good place and so you will learn to do it well.A word of advice. If you Google around for SEO information, ignore anything from April 2012 and earlier. It is almost all universally useless information now. Worse than useless in fact, it can penalize you. Only heed advice given AFTER the Penguin update because anything from before can harm you.¬†Good luck as you grow and learn in SEO, hope you enjoy it!

Your journey into SEO is actually rather similar to my own. I came from a content background and always held writing as my strong point. Like you, I ended up applying to a number of different roles that were¬†remotely¬†content-related and ended up in SEO.

The truth is that agencies are starting to shift their focus to people with a genuine written ability because content itself is becoming such a pivotal factor of SEO. And, as someone who has worked in SEO for the best part of a year now, I'm grateful for that because it will only develop the industry as a whole.

You really have a way with words! Also, thanks to your Boss for being a talent spotter. People like that are hard to come by.

Like you said there are so many things to do in the Online marketing (Including SEO) world and it is all about focusing on one or two things at a time and building it brick by brick. Sometimes people tend to lose focus and that is where the problem begins.

And, the best thing about Online Marketing is that it takes a combination of EQ & IQ, which is a rare combination to have. For example, look at Rand Fishkin and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out he has the right combination of EQ & IQ.

Also, it is all about drawing the essence, which after reading your article, I definitely feel that you have it.

I also come from a¬†writing¬†background (journalism/PR)¬†and have been reading SEOmoz articles here and there for the better part of year, and I'm still awfully intimidated by the community (although these kind responses have built my confidence up enough to leave what might be my first comment).

Thanks Brooke. Looking forward to hearing more from you (and sharing my thoughts and questions more often).

Welcome to both the Moz community and SEO community!It's great to have your fresh mind aboard the good ship.Your perspective, like my own, like all others is different from another. Some people land here from journo school, others were bill board advertisers, others merchandisers, others have just "always done seo" and many like me are web designers gone good.I wanted to make it clear that we all come to SEO with a skill set beyond the realms of SEO - very few people ever grow up with a desire to be a link builder or someone who trawls websites to find bugs and fix them - we are all different, yet the same - so welcome.And as much as you are learning now, is what I'd expect you to learn going forward ... this is to say that SEO and Internet Marketing as whole is an ever changing game and art, therefore what you learn today is just the building blocks for more learning ... and my one piece of advice is always have an open mind to SEO, just because you are not a "code lover" right now doesn't mean you can't be in the future - we all need to expand our skill set.anyway, welcome!If you've any questions about SEO just pop along to the SEOMoz Q&A board or tweet someone in the community, we'll all come running to the rescue like monkies to bannans

This is a refreshing outlook on SEO.¬†I read so much information from pros out there with all the jargon and what not , it was nice to have a different perspective.¬†I too am relatively new to SEO and learning all about it. It has only been recently that I realize how much information I have from the SEOmoz crew here and other places.¬†It's amazing what you can learn when you put you mind to it.¬†0/\0

I admire your candor, and am glad you brought to light the trend of SEO experts not being exclusively of technical backgrounds. Like you, I had big dreams of becoming a successful journalist but the industry has taken a nose dive over the past several years. Now, I find myself amidst a crash course in SEO that I'll admit is rather enjoyable. Perhaps it's best stated that my dynamic background in print and beyond has prepared me for the moving target that is Search Engine Optimization - always on my toes!

SEO certainly is a moving target, good way to put it. A print background is definitely so applicable to the digital age. We'll always need clear, informative, moving content - whether it's written with paper and ink or online!

Welcome to YouMoz and the wonderful world of SEO, Brooke! I remember my first YouMoz post (I've written three in total) and how daunting it was when it was published.

I always recommend SEOmoz's Beginner's Guide when people ask me how they can learn a bit about SEO. When I got my start in SEO over four years ago (early 2009), my boss handed me a guide by Econsultancy. It was a very complicated and technical guide, whereas SEOmoz's is so much easier to digest.

I think my favourite thing about SEO is how I'm constantly learning. I'm learning new stuff pretty much everyday - even now, years into my career. At least it never gets old! :-)

Thanks for the warm welcome, Steviephil! You're right - the SEOmoz Beginner's Guide is practically a picture book, it's so inviting and engaging (while also being chock-full of exactly what you want to know when starting out). It's such a relief to find a resource like that.¬†Glad to know that learning still happens even years down the road. This is a fast-paced, ever-changing field, that's for sure!¬†

I find it most interesting how people associate SEO with technical coding and mathematics (Rubix cube as you mentioned as well). In actual fact, SEO is more of a creative discipline than technical. People are still very surprised when I tell them this. They assume that you are "re-coding" the internet to get results which is (obviously) not the case!

In terms of learning SEO, the reason it's difficult is that we are in a state of constant change. There are things that happened last year which changed how we go about the job. On this point, I would recommend subscribing to "Search Engine Land's" RSS Blog Feed - (10-15 posts a day) covering all the changes that occur in search. If you keen an eye on that, you will not get caught out by the changes.

Welcome to the Moz Community and honestly I am really happy
that you really got the right perspective about SEO and Inbound marketing at
step one!

Unfortunately when I was in the beginning years of my SEO
career SEOmoz was considered to be a blog for experts and my team lead was not
happy to share information about available on this blog... all we know at step
one was directory submission, bookmarking and more... All thanks to SEOmoz
beginners guide which is considered to be the step one for all new SEO out there
around the world.

This blog post will be inspiring post for most of the new
people in the field so that they know what really SEO is and how one should go
with it right!

Great work with the post and all the best for the upcoming challenges!

I really liked your way of writing and the way of putting your experience in the form of words. My journey of SEO also seems identical to yours. I totally agree with the points you mention at the end that is about the job qualifications to be a good SEO. It is very true that the person having Smart, Strategic & Creative Thinking with Excellent Writing Skills is a perfect marketer in real sense.

If you haven't already, I'd strongly recommend building your own site / blog and practicing your SEO skills over there. Real-world on-the-job experience is great, but you won't really understand how the algorithm works until you build your own site(s) and engulf yourself in it every day.

There seems to be two different paths in SEO. The technical guru who can go into any CMS and any code and fix SEO issues and the creative advertising writer who can build links, write great content and build communities on social media. Two completely different mindsets. Whichever you choose be happy that you got in now because SEO is an exploding industry that won't be going away any time soon.

"When I learned that today‚Äôs great SEO has a lot to do with creating
awesome content for the user, I immediately realized that this field was
a good fit for me because I like words, and I‚Äôm a writer."

If only more site owners could have that same realization! It really does boil down to content and knowing how to interact with your audience. What you say, how you say it, and where you publish it all matter for SEO and there is no getting around that.

Great infographic. Thanks for share!I really like how they combined background image with text into infographic instead of just using huge image. Nice way to make infographic both user and search engine friendly :)

hi Brooke, i think creativity is a great skillset to havei notice alot of online marketers doing the samewhat's going to stand you out from the rest.why should i choose your businessthink smart think creative think SEO - search every orifice :)

Hi Brooke,Really enjoyed your post! As a veteran(!) of one year, I still feel like a total newb and the changes I've seen in a year sometimes boggle my mind. Like you tho, I enjoy writing and this is what keeps me going.Good luck with the new job :-)

This is a great post and should be shared by many. ¬†Every person I know who is in the SEO field has taken a different track from coders and programmers, to writers and journalists, to even social media pundits and bloggers. ¬†The SEO career path is definitely wide open right now and can be traveled by many who have a diverse skill set.

Hi Brook, I really appreciated your post. I'm a student in media arts and planning on a career in web building. I'm taking a class in Writing for the Media and our assignment this week was post¬† to a blog. I'm not really a blogger so I didn't see how the assignment would benefit me until I read your blog.'I¬† am somewhat familar with SEO and how important it is to web building. I didn't however realize how important blogging was. This writing class was a requirement. Most clients are encouraged to write their own content but after reading your blog I realized my ability to use my writing skills will¬† improve SEO¬† for the sites I build. Any tips you could pass on would be great.Thanks so much

Welcome to the community and I am thrilled that you find SEO not just a challenge but fun also. I am sure that you can enhance your skills massively by becoming part of this community and your writing skills are of an exceptional nature so I am confident that you can add some great insight and angles going down the line.

Hi, Brooke,When I started web copy writing I had to look up SEO because so many bid-fer sites were looking for SEO content (back when keyword stuffing was the extent of the SEO "rules"). Youmoz is populated with generous people willing to share their expertise and experience.The real techie stuff is still beyond me, but if you write well for people, sprinkle the clients' KWs throughout, and track the results, clients are usually pleased.SEOmoz and Youmoz have been great classrooms for me with teachers and students asking and answering questions.No worries, here. Your post hit home and made me smile.You're in the right place.Paul ¬†¬†

Welcome Brooke. I'm glad that both of us are from journalism background and currently doing some SEO. First of all let me thank you for such an interesting post. It is a great eye-opener for those who think that SEO is all technie. You are a source of inspiration for me because now I am motivated to write for Seomoz after reading your post.Looking forward hearing from you.

Welcome to the community. It is great to understand the necessity of SEO in giving companies online credibility. I am totally agreed with the point that you have mentioned here SEO professionals should be Techie and internet savvy.

@HappyBrook @Seotop and @Breanne Cooley...when first I entered into SEO field, I¬†felt myself like a stupid because¬†of my literature and language background. But during my studies, I¬†always wondered that I like words so where should I¬†get a go apart from this literature's¬†thing.. Braeanne I¬†just sing up¬†after reading this wonderful interactive kind of blog of Happybrook. I am really excited that I¬†met many of my kind.. Stay blessed you all and good luck for the SEO. I will be happy if you all stay connected with me.

Our copywriter has talent and I try to push her towards SEO and away from Journalism everyday. There are different ways to contribute as a whole. I find site owners and planners come from the tech side, affiliate marketing and past site owners. To "invent" seo, I find, PHP, knowledge of creative ways to break down site structure and programming insight as it connects to analytics, WP hacks etc is the best background. Writers, bloggers and personality compliments this side of the skillset. A great writer is invaluable to an SEO team as a whole. My path started in 2002, and doing it for yourself is still the best manual.

I love correlating with people that are very enthusiastic about SEO but dont possess the skills and proficiency of a SEO expert. Its a long journey, but it becomes very natural with the passage of time.I agree totally with the traits of SEO. I think social skills is of great importance when hiring a SEO, especially if they are going to treat CONTENT MARKETING and SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS.Regards!

Whenever someone asks me about learning SEO, the first thing I tell them to do is download the SEOmoz beginner guide. It's a really great intro to the subject! I remember how daunting SEO seemed when I first started, especially with so many "experts" on the web, it was difficult to tell who actually knew what they were talking about and who didn't.

It's always interesting to hear how people got into SEO as there doesn't seem to be any common path. My degree is in Linguistics and Psychology and I hadn't even heard of SEO until I started interning at an e-commerce company!

When I started my SEO career, I don't know about SEO in deep but When I start to read Moz and other SEO blog articles then I realized how SEO work is achievable to me. Gradually, I start learning and implemented my knowledge over SEO projects and got good response. That's why I am here to contribute my experience.

I can relate with this one because im actually a beginner in this community which i found this article very essential. I've realized that i have been with SEO majority in my life. I thought search engines are no big deal but now i understand its value. Everyone can be in this field, everyone is a potential candidate that can excel in this field if you possess the needed characteristics. Thank you for sharing this one.

Hey Ms M,Well done on capturing what is going on in the minds of most newbies, well this one at least.It is daunting to bear one's soul in a crowd of experts, but I think that you have a soft place to land here, and for the record I've only ever been able to manage one side of a Rubik's cube.Good luckMark

you're already on the right path here, wrote an engaging article getting likes and shares and earning followed links for your company! bravo! aspiring SEOs can learn something from what you've done here.+1 yo!

hi Brooke, nice article. You are really a good writer.¬† There is some charming flow in your writings. really superb. It is luck of your company to get a good writer who is very interested in SEO. Hope you will surely make a new identity in the SEO world. Best wishes and regards

You did a very good job, a well written post and a very interesting story which I think a lot of us can relate. I just want to make a suggestion, you can also add some details as of how SEO is done on the other end, since a lot of people don't have any idea of how SEO is done. (e.g. Business Process Outsourcing) Since most of the people outsource or hire other people to do things for them such as, (Web development, Content Writing, and a lot more).Thumbs up! :)

What a superb article, I feel SEO is such a moving feast that, in a lot of ways, even with experience, you need to stay agile, as the environment changes so fast.

You make some great points, I have struggled with strategy and have also, come to realise, that SEO is a lot easier with a rock solid proposition, with clear USP's, as this drives links and interest in itself.

I felt the same way about SEO when I started. I have learned
(for me) that my writing skills are paramount to my success. When dealing with my
boss, clients and coworkers (programmers, designers, project managers ect.). I have
to communicate differently with each of them and punctuation does count. I am
very gratefully to have a writing background as well. Glad you are here.

Your post took me down the memory lane. Back in 2008, I was pursuing Bachelors in Computer Science and joined a small SEO Agency as an Intern. While all my batch-mates where going high on Java, C# blah blah, I was busy setting up blogs and posting article...On completing the internship, the Agency offered me to work with them as a Part Time SEO¬†Assistant, post college hours. I loved it for two reasons at that time -¬†

1. I was making money while studying

2. I was enjoying the work.

In this process, I realized I had defined the word Passion as SEO for myself. After Graduating in 2009,¬†I took this up as full time and I am glad that I made this choice!

Welcome to the community Brooke and I see you are ,in true sense, in the making of a strong SEO professional!

Welcome to the world of SEO!!¬† Great blog post! Being tech savvy, marketing-minded, strategic thinking, creative and possessing social skills are the traits that any SEO should have.

Understanding the necessity of SEO is becoming more widespread and companies desire the higher rankings. It's up to the marketing professional, like us, to ensure that our clients are discovered on the overstuffed Internet with Google and Bing/Yahoo.

Thanks
so much for the post. Solid writers are a hugely undervalued asset when it
comes to digital marketing. Especially when you think about the most
sustainable ways of executing on SEO: writing quality content that people find
valuable will always be critical to getting found, regardless of what's
happening with Google's algorithm. If only academia knew more about the field
of SEO - I wish more passionate writers knew about the world of SEO so they
could continue to hone their skills and have more confidence in their job
prospects post-graduation. Your post does an excellent job of advocating why.¬†

It's lovely to read a perspective from a bit of an SEO beginner, because that's just about where I'm at too and also coming from an English degree background I can really relate.Great to know I'm not on this learning curve alone.¬†

Hi Brooke,I'm practically in the same boat as yourself - a 2012 journalism university graduate going into the unexplored depths of SEO.It wasn't my plan to go into SEO, but once I'd been given a job as a content writer and then expanded my SEO skills into link earning and on-page optimisation, then the whole industry has become a lot clearer and interesting!I've only been in the job 6 months, but it's such a dynamic and interesting and changing industry, it seems that there will always be a job for SEO - unlike the "venus fly trap" of journalism :)Matthew

I think the best part is how new and dynamic this whole field is, as you said. No one at school was saying to me, "Hey, you could do SEO!" so it made getting this job all the more exciting and unexpected. Best of luck to you as well, matty_norman!

Nice to read your Newbie perspective start on SEO field. Yes you are right, SEO is not that just techie program code and something related to only computers, there are so many others things and points we need to know to work among with them!

Congrats on the new job and good to hear you're enjoying it. The biggest thing I had to learn and still need is patience. I guess it would go hand in hand with strategy but it can be frustrating when you feel like you've done the work and can't see the results yet. A lot of jobs, you see the fruits of your labor almost immediately, not so much with SEO.

I have read full story and way to your
explanation is very good since your college to present employment which I really
appreciated from you. I agreed with your point that you shared about techie
things.

Welcome to SEO and the community! It's funny, I did SEO in the late 90s for a few clients (we were mostly developing B2B sites) and really had a dim view of it. Then, I came back to it around 2006, and I was amazed how much had changed. It's an exciting time, and we need diverse talent and smart people from many walks of life.

Awesome Post and Congrats on the job. Your
contribution hit home for me. I Graduated from college in 2011 with a marketing
background and was hired as an SEO. My boss handed me The Art of SEO by Eric
Enge, Stephan Spencer, Jessie Stricchiola- and yes, SEOmoz‚Äôs own Rand Fishkin.
After I demolished that book, he introduced me SEOmoz and I was hooked
instantly. (Love whiteboard Fridays!)¬†

The SEOmoz community has not only taught
me a great deal about SEO, but ive learned not to be afraid to ask the
community for help or for their opinion on a situation. I cant thank them
enough for such great content to help the noob SEO

Brooke, I love your post! There's everything in it - you are so open and sincere - that's just awesome! If you preserve this style, you are sure to create fascinating content people would love to link to. As some point out, SEO is quite a long way, but you ARE the person who can cope with it.

I'd recommend you to start a blog and write about your SEO discoveries, achievements, even mistakes - just keep on creating cool stuff; and the community is always here to help ;)

This article was extremely informative and full of great energy and enthusiasm. As a newbie to the world of SEO but a creative writer by nature, I really appreciate how you approached this. Great read :)

Welcome to the world of SEO! I'm pretty new to SEO myself (started exactly one year ago to the day, in fact!), and there's definitely a lot to learn!

I come from a bit more in line with the "Techie" background (I majored in Computer Science in college), but I found myself in a similar situation to yours. I think the best part of it all is that people from all walks of life are capable of being successful, so long as you stay passionate and enthusiastic about it. In a way, I like to think that we all keep the world spinning. Well, the internet search world anyway. :)

Great first post HappyBrooke as evidenced by the fact that it was promoted and received 71 thumbs up! Awesome! ¬†You really know how to strike an chord with your audience. Not bad for a newbie who is also great SEO. The whole content is king thing is DEAD and now awesome, extraordinary content that speaks directly to an audience will win, every time. Congrats on picking an awesome major that will serve you well in this exciting, ever-evolving SEO environment.¬†

I'm new to SEO as well, and like you, knew very very little about it when I started not too long ago. It's nice to know I'm not the only newb out there. Thanks for the article and your perspective, especially on content writing! - Danielle

It's interesting... we've seen something similar from a few web design firms that contacted us about being penalized, but they received NO messages in their Google Webmaster Tools account. We helped them remove/change the site-wide footer links from the websites they had built and presto--they're ranking again (even better than before getting whacked). Just wondering why some companies get a message from Google and others don't.